Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm building a rack system and I have a few questions about heating it. It is going to hold 12, 12 quart boxes. At fist I was going to run 4 inch flexwatt on each shelf, now I'm considering running 11 inch flexwatt down the back of the rack. I am worried that the boxes will not get enough heat in the winter months if I run the flexwatt up the back. What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Bob

Will depend on the room temp mainly. I run back heat on all my tub racks and also my larger enclosures. They are in a heated room that doesn't get below 77 at night though.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.

i think your right,back heat is not as efficent as belly heat and uses more wattage to get less results.another thing to consider is what you are housing and what are your room temps going to be.

the last several racks i made are backless and i apply reflectix insulation which radiates the heat forward.this works great and i find the temp in the tubs changes every 1.5-2 inches.
have fun!

I've used back heat in the past and I'll never use it again. I was losing too much of the heat out the back. I had to line the back and sides of each rack with 2 inch rigid insulation to get my temps under control. Once I did that the heat was stable and maintained constant. I've never had to do this with racks that used belly heat. I currently have 4 racks, they all have belly heat.

The difference between back heat and belly heat has a lot to do with personal preference. In addition to being easier to control temps, I think that belly heat provides a better basking area that aids in digestion... but like I said it mostly comes down to personal preference.
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Michael McFadden, M.S., D.V.M.

The difference between belly heat and back heat has a lot to do with personal preference. In addition to being easier to control temps I think that belly heat offers a better basking spot, and may aid in digestion... but like I said it is mostly personal preference.

mike
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Michael McFadden, M.S., D.V.M.

Thanks everyone for responding. I though that heating from the bottom would be best, but heating from the back would just be so much easier. I'm going to put in the extra work and do it right.

Thanks again ,
Bob